Rough Ride, Rougher Landing
-Blast Off really has to wonder sometimes if he should even get out of the recharge slab. I mean, really, no, some days he SHOULDN'T be out of the recharge slab, much less the Hospital. But do you think that's the kind of luck he has? Pfft, of course not. He ought to still be there, recovering on a medtable after being shot in the head by Quickswitch. He was just starting to feel rested again when he got an urgent call. No- a COMMAND. Apparently a Senate ship with an /amazing/ selection of highly desirable weapons and ammunition is housed there in Vos, and is just about to be flown back to Iacon to arm the Autobots. Soundwave caught wind of this and Megatron had learned that Blast off was there in Vos- thus his command to get OUT of bed and start doing something USEFUL. And now the still somewhat groggy and most definitely *annoyed* shuttleformer has made his way to this ship in question. It's a large ship, with a massive cargo- and he's apparently the only Decepticon in the area capable of both piloting it AND capable of Plan B. Plan B meaning: If he can't steal the ship, or if anything goes wrong while trying to fly it back to Kaon: he will load as much of the cargo into his OWN cargo bay and transport it himself. But... that's rather difficult, and he most certainly hopes he won't have to figure the logistics of THAT out. Thanks to several access codes given to him (via Soundwave) the Combaticon successfully makes his way into the ship and flies it off before the guards are any the wiser. And now he flies it up into Thunderhead Pass in an attempt to shake off pursuers. Blast off is skilled- they are less so, and fall behind due to the region's unstable electromagnetic storms. It rocks the ship Blast off is on, and he curses under his breath... but he keeps it airborne while the pursuit turns around and flees. But is that the end of it? -Is it any wonder then that Swift Blade crashed her shuttle there so many cycles ago? How long has it been now? Speaking of that very same femme, she is wondering how Blast Off is doing. However, to her surprise he is NOT in the hospital where she had last seen him. Doubting the wisdom of this, she sends him a radio transmission, <> -Indeed, Blast Off is not out of the woods, yet. The enforcers had attempted to pursue him, but they dared not fly in the precarious airspace above Thunderhead Pass, they were too small to keep from being buffeted about roughly, and with a larger craft, Blast Off won't have as difficult of a time as they would. Hence, so far, so good. The coast appears to be clear, and perhaps Blast Off will not have to end up needing repairs again after all...but maybe he shouldn't get his hopes up too high. -Swift Blade doesn't know where Blast Off is and she has no real leads. Perhaps one of the medics mentioned that he left in a hurry? Other than that, she wouldn't have much else to go on. -After a long pause, << ....Swift Blade? >> comes an uncertain response. Then another long silence. When the radio comes on again, Blast Off seems a little less hesitant but still a bit apprehensive. << I... I got called into something. ...Couldn't /wait/, apparently. >> He sounds a little irked at that. He also still sounds oddly distracted. << I... I wanted to ask... >> Then suddenly there's a sharp burst of static, follwed by a barely perceptible << SLAG! >> before his signal shorts out briefly. However... Swift Blade can detect where the source of hsi signal came from- Thunderhead Pass, where she and the shuttle first met. -Sometimes the world just likes to keep people hopping. The radio message Swift Blade gets in return is not a comforting one. <> she radios back with concern. Picking up the source of the signal she heads that way, flying only until the turbulence will be too bad, at which point she has to transform and land. Hopefully it will get her closer in time; it's better to be safe than sorry. -Blast Off really -shouldn't- get his hopes up too high. Especially given his track record. Swift Blade won't have too much trouble locating the large airborne craft the Combaticon is piloting once she moves in on the signal, since it's likely to be one of the only aircraft in the area. Another thing she won't have trouble spotting is Blurr's hover speeder form, who is speeding along on the ground below. He is heading up a large metal outcropping the juts a good distance upward into the air. Once he reaches the edge, he transforms and launches himself off of it, using his rear boosters to gain a bit more altitude as he fires a cable upward with a grappling mechanism at the end of it. It attaches itself to the underside of a downward slanting wing, and starts to retract, pulling the speedster upward with it. -For a moment Swift Blade is simply impressed at Blurr's movements. Reckless, dangerous, yet marvelously executed. Then the implications sink in. Blurr and Blast Off are enemies, even more bitterly so because they had once been friends of sorts. His presence on the shuttle can't possibly mean anything good, especially since she doubts Blast Off is in top form after being attacked by Quickswitch. <> comes her warning. Frowning she looks up at the sky; it won't be safe for her to take to the air just yet. -Yes, indeed. It always does seem like Blast off has rotten luck- so perhaps Swift Blade's concern isn't really misplaced. The static continues for awhile... the electromagnetic storm interferring with smooth radio transmissions. Swift Blade can try to wait it out, or she can try to get closer. As a result, he doesn't hear her radio signal. -The grappling line pulls Blurr up against the wing. Grabbing onto an outcropping, he starts strafing along the outside of the transport as he does a light scan of the area. There aren't too many people around, and he notes Swift Blade's presence. He also notes a maintenance hatch nearby, which he quickly enters through. The storm seems to lighten up for the time being, the sky clearing a bit as well as communications. If Swift Blade wants to make her way up onto the craft, now is her chance. -Swift Blade keeps trying to follow on foot at first, every so often trying to get through via radio. Perhaps he /has/ heard it and just is too busy to respond, but it is better to be safe than sorry. The situation is dangerous enough as it is without taking necessary risks. Then she sees her chance and she finally takes flight, although she isn't quite as good at it as some of the other Seekers, mostly because of her history as a slave. Still, she keeps repeating her message, just in case she can't catch up fast enough. -Blast Off is concentrating hard on getting through the storm. He doesn't like flying a ship. This always feels so... unnatural to the shuttle. He's the ship- he's not supposed to be IN one. And the weather outside keeps interferring with the ship's systems. An alarm goes off- but it's just one of many sounding off right now. So beyond a precursory scan of the ship he doesn't pay it too much attention. His main concern is not crashing. But then Swift Blade's transmission finally cuts through. Blast off blinks and turns to radio the femme back, << Swift Blade? Repeat yourself please? What was that? >> Did she say BLURR something? Now the shuttleformer starts that ship's scan up again, a little more thoroughly this time- AND he brings out his blaster from subspace, looking around as much as he can. While ALSO focusing on the complicated flight dials and knobs and guages to ensure the ship stays on course. -As Swiftblade makes her way up toward the transport, she may just catch sight of the maintenance hatch closing behind Blurr as he slips inside, finding himself near the engine rooms. He readies his own weapons, and begins to make his way toward the front of the craft where the control room--and Blast Off--is, doing what he can avoid any surveillance in case the Combaticon is paying attention to those. -<> Swift Blade repeats as she nears the hatch she saw Blurr disappear into. Though it will be foolish to attack Blast Off in the middle of a storm; while she's sure he is a mech of many talents, she doubts he can pilot a shuttle with the powers of his mind alone. << I'll be there as fast as I can; just be careful.>> Just a little closer....she's /got/ to make it. Blurr's fast and the shuttle is a confined space; she can only imagine how much Blast Off will be at the speedy mech's mercy, and this is a thought she does not like at all. -Bah, so little confidence in the MIGHTY SPACE WARRIOR's skills, Swift Blade? (Not that seing him get slagged several times might influence that or anything...) Blast Off receives her transmission this time. Great. She DID say Blurr. Also- wait, what? Is she coming? Is she here? The Combaticon stops for a second, confused. Hadn't she said she wouldn't interfere if he was in jeapardy of being apprehended? Though... then again.... there's that little matter of the *sword*.... he pauses to glance over at what he /thinks/ is Swift Blade's sword, lying nestled into a hold space off of the main cockpit area. << What are you... what do you me... >> His voice trails off as he realizes he doesn't have time. He switches the ship to autopilot- a temporary move- then heads to the door, intending to lock it before Blurr can reach the front of the ship. His blaster remains firmly in hand and pointing the door's way. -It's not long before Blurr gets through to the front. After all, he is not only fast, but this vessel technically belongs to the state, and he knows its basic layout. But then when he arrives there, he finds the door is locked? How did the perpetrator know...? He'd stayed out of sight of surveillance as far as he could tell. Wait...Swiftblade had been outside. Had she...? Suddenly, a wave of dread passes over the speedster as he realizes what must have happened. Dread that turns into anger as he clenches his fists. Perfect, first Hot Rod, and now Swiftblade too? Frustrated, he presses his guns up against the door latch, and fires. The thing had to give at some point, right? -Swift Blade has every confidence in Blast Off's skills because she knows (mostly) what they are, and hand to hand combat is not really included. He has said himself that he's more of a ranged expert. Besides, she'd seen on a few occassions how much he needs his space. Eventually Swift Blade achieves the hatch, manages to pull it open, and then slips inside. Owning no blaster, she does not pull one out, and she's not quite ready to draw her sword yet either. Hearing the shot at the door, she quickens her pace, though she has to be more cautious since she does /not/ know the layout of the shuttle. -Blast Off gets the door locked in time, but the shots firing off at the structure tell him he doesn't have a lot of time. And Swift Blade is correct, in a cramped combat spot such as this, Blast off is at a disadvantage. He might get off a shot or two as Blurr gets through the door, but hand-to-hand the Combaticon will lose. That's probably true even when he ISN'T just barely holding it together after being shot in the head. There are still bandages on the shuttleformer's face, though he's managed to fasten a makeshift faceplate on. He's not going into a dangerous situation feeling *naked*. For now, Blast Off heads back to the controls to watch over them- while also standing as far from the door as possible. His weapon is lifted and he's ready to fire if Blurr gets in. << Swift Blade, Blurr is trying to get into the cockpit area. Where are you? Be cautious. >> -Finally, the shots blast through the door latch and Blurr pushes it open. And who should he find on the other side but Blast Off, his one-time friend. He trains his weapons on the Combaticon. "This vehicle and its cargo are property of the city-state of Iacon. You will return it to its rightful owners. Now." he demands. -<< I've made it inside, and I heard the shot; I'm on my way as fast as I can.>> While she feels the threat of the situation, her voice is calm; she doesn't fall into distress and despair easily. Besides, panicking will do neither her nor Blast Off any good. <> It doesn't take her /much/ longer before she approaches the door. Seeing it's blasted through state, it's not too big of a leap of logic to guess that Blurr has made it to Blast Off. Stepping through the hole she comes to stand behind Blurr. Unhooking her sword so that it's at the ready, she waits right now to see what will happen; it's not in her nature to stab someone in the back. -Blast Off is still standing with his weapon aimed at the door. When Blurr bursts in, the Combaticon knows he doesn't have much time, nor can he reason with the other mech. "Are you really going to shoot me, standing here at the controls? Or do you not care if the ship crashes, and you with it?" Then he hears Swift Blade's reply, and winces just slightly. What is she going to think of this, he wonders? Well... given the circumstances, he doesn't think he can wait long to find out. He's hesitated shooting Blurr before. Not this time. His answer to Blurr's statement is simple. "No." << Swift Blade, I am shooting at him. He won't listen to reason. Stay back. >> With that, he fires right at the racer. -Blurr twists and jumps, dodging most of the damage, but the shot manages to graze his shoulder. "If we can't have what's rightfully ours, then you won't have it -either-." He replies, insinuating that crashing the transport -isn't- out of the question. The racer fires back, not really trying too hard not to hit the controls. If he misses Blast Off, he hits the nav console, or the sensor array, or something. -Shooting first really doesn't reflect well on Blast Off, but it seemed to work for Han Solo in another universe, so why not now? Swift Blade can't help but frown, but from what she's seen of the history between these two, she can't blame him. Still, it doesn't stop her from feeling a surge of regret at how things are unfolding. Taking his words into consideration, she silently steps aside, even though she trusts the mech's aim, she knows how fast Blurr can move. The last thing Blast Off needs is to shoot her into the bargain. For all his speed, Blurr still misses Blast Off, which is a relief to Swift Blade, though she takes no pleasure in the fact that Blast Off managed even a minor hit on Blurr. She winces as his shot hits somewhere in the control system and she moves over that way to see if she can assess the damage; she doesn't want to be in a shuttle crash on Cybertron...again. Even so she doesn't put away her sword. -Blast Off's optics narrow at Blurr's comment. Somehow it doesn't surprise him. Still, he instinctively darts to the side as Blurr fires at him and the shot strikes not him, but part of the console. The ship immediately shudders and lists to the left slightly as more alarms start to go off. Slaaaag. Now the Combaticon is torn between trying to put out THAT fire, whatever it is, and keeping Blurr at bay. He attempts to do both, one hand aiming the gun at Blurr and the other trying to sort through screens and determine the damage. Then Swift Blade appears and the Combaticon glances her way- but not for long. He has to keep an optic on the extremely fast racer over there. He doesn't know if Blurr has noticed her yet, so he moves a little to try and draw Blurr's attention away from her. "Typical Autobot reasoning. I will not let you succeed." With that he fires again, making sure not to fire anywhere near the femme- or the controls. If only Blurr would be so thoughtful! Meanwhile, he radios, << There is... a sword to the right there... in that hold. See it? >> -Oh, Blurr has noticed Swiftblade. He noticed a while back, in fact. He knows what she did. And he can see that she's still got her own weapon out. He ducks as Blast Off's shot whizzes past his head, then dashes across the control room toward where Swiftblade is attempting to assess the damage to the transport's controls. "Swiftblade," he hisses, his voice a whisper so that Blast Off won't hear. "Disable the autopilot and get this thing turned around toward Iacon. I'll keep Blast Off occupied." He knows she's already betrayed him, but...he's willing to give her one last chance. Maybe it's worth it. Maybe she isn't a lost cause. Hopefully? Blurr keeps firing at Blast Off, as he's promised to keep the Combaticon occupied. -Swift Blade finds her sword and is happy to see it, though the happiness is fleeting due to the situation. Although her masters had given her those swords, they had been with her for so long they felt like a part of her. Having only one felt strange, but it was for a good cause in her opinion. Quickly retriving and locking into place the sword, she takes a look back at the console. Although she wasn't the best pilot, at least she knows a bit about controls and perhaps she can do something about the listing. Or, if worse comes to worse, she hopes that her crash landing will be as survivable as her first one. The seeker has no intentions of going to Iacon. She also has no intention of leaving the autopilot on. She is going to bring this thing to ground as best she can; the longer they stay in the air while fighting, the more chances there are that all three of them won't live to see another cycle. Unless she can tell where in specific Blast Off was heading she's just going to try to find the closest place to set down that is clear and 'safe'. -Blast Off misses? Slag, it must be the close quarters knocking his aim off. That and Blurr being far too close and the ship blaring the alarms and listing off to the side a bit and wondering what Swift Blade is even doing here and and and.... Ok, fine, leaving excuses aside for a moment, the Combaticon shifts focus back to Blurr, dodging another shot. heh, looks like this isn't Blurr's day for accuracy either. Though it's a lot more disconcerting, for the stray shot strikes some more panels, causing yet MORE alarms to go off. This forces Blast Off to look up and consider that it might be time to think about Plan B. Then... wait, what's Swift Blade doing? The ships seems to be losing altitude, but he can't tell if it's the ship's glitching systems - or Swift Blade. << Swift Blade, what's going on? Is it crashing? We need to get this ship to Kaon. >> Meanwhile, he HUFFs at the racer. "Are you sure it's not just YOU that wants the ship to crash, Blurr? You always seem like the type who thinks that if /he can't have something, no one will/... /despite/ the fact that you already have so much...." And again, a shot is fired right at Blurr. -"Swift??" Blurr stares at her when she doesn't give him an answer. "Whatareyoudoing??" He strafes again, as Blast Off's shot again grazes him. The transport seems to be losing altitude--not that the racer minds this all that much. If it goes down outside of Kaon, the enforcers, who are no doubt waiting to reclaim the payload, shouldn't have any trouble regaining possession of it. The racer doesn't dignify Blast Off with a response, instead just glares daggers at him and continues firing. Clearly his comparison of this situation to Blurr's spoiled upbringing isn't even an appropriate one, because this isn't for him, personally. -"While you two are fighting it simply isn't safe to be in the air like this," Swift Blade says steadily so that both mechs can hear. "If I try to make it to any city we'll likely crash before we can reach it and then none of us will walk away from this." She puts away her second sword as the controls get even more damaged. In annoyance she shuts off the alarms. She KNOWS the blasted thing is in trouble, it doesn't have to keep telling her every three seconds. -Blast Off HUFFS again. He doesn't WANT the ship to go down, but he doesn't seem to have much choice, aside from trying to wrest the controls from Swift Blade. Which ...well, he's really not looking to go there. And she does have a point... sort of. Plus- Blurr. He lands in a hit of sorts, and dodges the shot from the racer. Slagitall. This is one of those times Blast off wishes he WAS a little stronger, he'd end the tit for tat shooting that is tearing up the cockpit and just *punch* the slagger. Hmm. The shuttleformer looks around. Swift Blade may notice him taking a leaf out of his old playbook and he suddenly rips a seat cushion and HURLS it at Blurr, trying to knock the gun from his hands without yet MORE shooting. -The seat cushion does knock Blurr's weapon free, though he does have arm-mounted ones as well, so he proceeds to make use of those. "Hmph, fine--just make sure it's nowhere near Kaon." he replies to Swiftblade. -Swift Blade isn't making any promises. She'll deal with the problem of the mechs fighting when it's safer to do so. Meanwhile the two are threatening to make the shuttle even more unstable. Right now her hands are full just managing the craft and that is where her focus lies. She says no more to the combatants. -Blast Off knocks the weapon free- HA!- only to get surprised (again) when Blurr has weapons he wasn't expecting. And those strike before he can dodge out of the way. "Gah!" The shot gets uncomfortably close to his face, chipping through a portion of his neck and shoulder cables. Fortunately there are no major fuel lines hit though. He reaches a hand up to try staunching the flow of energon, glares, then fires back. He also glances towards Swift Blade... what IS she doing? She doesn't look like she's answering questions, whatever the case, so he goes back to trying to fend off Blurr. -Swift Blade isn't so completely oblivious that she doesn't notice that Blast Off has actually been more than just scuffed or nicked at this point. <> she finally emits to him. Jerking hard on the controls she tries to unseat the speedster; he may be fast but she's hoping he's not completely immune to physics. She's not trying to hurt him, just trying to STOP him from hurting Blast Off any further. -Blurr had been preparing a shot when Swiftblade jerks the controls, causing the craft to ride sideways sharply. He tumbles off of his feet, Blast Off's shot boring into his side this time. By this time, enough damage has accumulated that he springs a leak, energon spurting onto the floor. He scrambles to his feet, fixing Swiftblade with an almost bitter expression. "I should have known. You already betrayed me once, why wouldn't you do it again?" The speedster dashes forward, trying to get the jump on Swiftblade and stick a gun to her back, though he doesn't fire yet. "Set us down outside of Kaon, -now-." Blurr demands, then glares at Blast Off. "And don't you try anything funny, or she dies." -Blast Off glances once again at Swift Blade... boy, does he have a bunch of questions for her. There's a lot he doesn't understand... about this, about how that sword wound up in his hand, why she's gotten involved at all. But there she goes again, getting involved- and sends him that warning. He reaches over to grip the edge of the seat just as the ship lurches. Bracing for it, he stays on his feet even without needing anti-gravs. Unfortunately, while Blurr is knocked down by the manuever, he's not out... and he comes back with a vengeance. The Combaticon freezes, optics widening. Oh no, he didn't. NO HE JUST DIDN'T. Blurr's already taken someone he cared about- now he's threatening another? A real surge of anger flashes through the Combaticon. Oh slag no, he's not playing this game. << Swift Blade- I'm shooting. He can't be trusted, and I will not allow myself- or you- to be at HIS mercy. Prepare to duck when I give that distraction. >> Blast Off is a sniper. An extremely skilled one. And it is only because of that fact that he takes the shot now, aiming to distract Blurr and let Swift Blade escape. -Swift Blade doesn't like having a gun at her back. Slowly, deliberately, she turns to face the speedster, looking him directly in the optics. "When did I betray you in the first place?" she asks evenly. "And I didn't do that so that you would fall into the shot," she further states. "I was just trying to get you two to stop shooting each other long enough for me to land the shuttle." Then she gets the warning from Blast Off. Whether his aim was slightly off, or she didn't duck fast or low enough is hard to tell, but she gets a blast in the shoulder. She hisses softly at this but doesn't show any other sign of being wounded. -Blurr scoffs. Is she -really- asking him that question right now? Yeah -right-. Blast Off just has faster reflexes than Blurr does, so he managed to grab onto something to stabilize himself? Uh, -no-. -No one- has faster reflexes than Blurr. "Then stop with the load of rustwash and -land- us like you said you were." he demands once again. "You know me; I'm not the type with a lot of -patience-." And then Blast Off shoots anyway. Blurr would have shot Swiftblade in the face, but it seems the Combaticon has shot her for him already. "Ha, gee thanks Blast Off, I was going to shoot her myself but you seem to be in a favorable mood today!" -Blast Off aims and fires- and the sniper- MISSES. The odds are, the fact that he's still recovering from the head shot doesn't help. The sensor that adds to his accuracy- right on his fore head- is still recalibrating, and he's not at 100% health. None of this helps him feel any better. For right when it counts the most... he misses. And hits Swift Blade instead. Violet optics widen and flicker to an almost white shade at her hiss of pain. << I... I am... I didn't mean... >> Flustered, the shuttleformer hesitates now, his confidence faltering. << I am sorry. >> Blurr goads him on that comment, and the optics flash with a deeper shade of purple now. His trigger finger twitches and he *almost* shoots, but now he's not as sure what to do. "//Let her go...//" Blurr took Shiftlock, he will NOT take Swift Blade too! But.. slag, he doesn't want to shoot her either, and with his head injury and possible aim off.... he pauses. -"Betrayal indicates some sort of committment," Swift Blade says, her jaw tight. Yeah, that misplaced shot stung. "I won't deny you've been a likable person, Blurr, but you have trouble divorcing yourself from the law, from your cause. Just because I do not agree with the one doesn't mean that I hold any ill will towards you." She keeps her optics locked on his, red to blue. "I don't respond well to threats," she says. "But it is in all our best interests for this thing to reach the ground safely." Wherever that may be. Turning slightly towards Blast Off, her expression softens. "I know you didn't mean it," she says aloud for both mechs' benefits since Blurr was so callous as to taunt Blast Off. Still, the set of her expression shows that she is not going anywhere anytime soon, not while she can still walk on her own volition. Then she turns her back on Blurr again to face the console. "If you want me to set this down, I suggest you don't take any further aggressive action." -"Then do it and I won't." Blurr replies tersely. "That is unless Blast Off decides to be stupid and try something." he shoots the Combaticon a threatening glance at that. He doesn't try to argue with Swiftblade's reasoning, because there isn't much point to it--as far as he's concerned, if someone is against the law, they are against -him- as well. -Swift Blade has a fair bit of understanding for Blurr. He must just barely be out of Primary Programming School, assuming he ever went through it. Considering what little she knows of his life, he probably had a private tutor. "No one did you any favors by making you law enforcement so young," she says softly as she controls the shuttle, trying to compensate for the hard move she made earlier. "You didn't have nearly enough time to form your identity apart from what you /do/." She's definitely not heading towards Iacon, but this thing is going to run aground before they reach Kaon. Besides, she doesn't really want to see a mob of angry Decepticons show up to execute Blurr. - Swiftblade is right. Blurr never should have been allowed to join security forces at such a ridiculously young age. It was like letting a human five-year-old join the military. And she was right about not having a chance to form an identity apart from what he does. But of course, isn't that the whole idea behind Functionism? What you do is what you are, and -who- you are. "What are you talking about, no one -put- me in law enforcement, -I- chose it for -myself-." At least that's what he thinks, anyway. The transport is a bit diffcult to land with the damaged navigation, but if she manages to steer it away from rough terrain, at least they won't have to risk getting blown up or trapped in a pile of rubble. -Blast Off continues to keep his weapon up and ready, but doesn't fire it. "Right. You're a brainwashed fool, Blurr. You can't think for yourself, can't choose for yourelf. I almost pity you." -"A responsible system would have never allowed you to make that choice," Swift Blade murmurs, though most of her focus is on landing the shuttle. She's hardly a navigator, so she's just looking for any clear space to set down. They can worry about the cargo after. This has only made her more convinced that the system has to be replaced. Her anger isn't focused on Blurr though; he's barely more than a child, especially compared to her millions of years. Finding such a place, she lands the craft, and though it's rather bumpity, at least they're all still in once piece....more or less. -Once they set down, Blast Off would be well-advised to proceed to Plan B and take what he can for himself before the Enforcers arrive to reclaim the cargo. And it isn't long before they do. But, as promised, Blurr finally lets Swiftblade go once everything has been secured, although he still doesn't look very happy with her at all. In fact, he just doesn't look very happy in general...